As I was saying. I suck. I am so sorry I haven't been timely. For those not on my FB we recently bought a house that needs a complete renovation (plus side, it was cheap!). With that we're moving out of the apartment and balancing rebuilding the essentials (kitchen and bathroom) with moving during non work hours. We're both working full time and I was just given a promotion and an assignment to rebuild the program (from scratch) that I ran in Vegas. Add to that that Sloan is in heat so we're rotating dogs and my life is utter chaos right now.

That said, I am extremely impressed with your effort and presentations lately. I am even more impressed with the peer reviews, I have only been able to really read a few like Saras but they have been fantastic, PLEASE keep it up! I can't wait to get on a computer (we've been without internet except on our phones for a while) and really look at everyones work!

Without further rambling, this week we're moving on with a technical and conceptual challenge!

Your challenge this week is:

Shoot in the style of...

The goal this week will be to pick an artist, past or present, and shoot in their style. Artists tend to always have a particular "tell" of their work and your goal is to find one you like, find what it is about their work that says "that's their work" and emulate it with your own spin.

Again, you may or may not use your dogs in this challenge.

You can take as many shots as you would like and you can edit images in production, some artists really utilize production in their work but some do not, your job will be figuring out how they achieved their final product and recreating it with your own spin.

When you are finished you'll post the final product here. You'll post 1 to 3 final images. In addition to your shots you will post something of theirs (or a link) and some sort of description as to why you choose who you did and what you were setting out to recreate. For example:

Quote:

1. Ansel Adams is probably the most easily recognized name of any photographer. His landscapes are stunning, and he achieves an unparalleled level of contrast using creative darkroom work. You can improve your own photos by reading Adams’ own thoughts as he grew older, when he wished that he had kept himself strong enough physically to continue his work.

2. Yousuf Karsh has taken photographs that tell a story, and that are more easily understood than many others. Each of his portraits tells you all about the subject. He felt as though there was a secret hidden behind each woman and man. Whether he captures a gleaming eye or a gesture done totally unconsciously, these are times when humans temporarily lose their masks. Karsh’s portraits communicate with people.

3. Robert Capa has taken many famous war-time photographs. He has covered five wars, even though the name “Robert Capa” was only the name placed to the photos that Endre Friedman took and that were marketed under the “Robert Capa” name. Friedman felt that if you were not close enough to the subject, then you wouldn’t get a good photograph. He was often in the trenches with soldiers when he took photographs, while most other war photographers took photographs from a safe distance.

4. Henri Cartier-Bresson has a style that makes him a natural on any top ten photographer list. His style has undoubtedly influenced photography as much as anyone else’s. He was among the first to use 35mm film, and he usually shot in black and white. We are not graced by more of his work since he gave up the craft about 30 years before he passed away. It’s sad that there are fewer photographs by Cartier-Bresson to enjoy.

5. Dorothea Lange took photographs during the Great Depression. She took one photo of a migrant mother that is also titled by that name, and is said to be one of the best-known photographs in history. In the 1940***8242;s, she also photographed the Japanese internment camps, and these photographs show sad moments in American history.

6. Jerry Uelsman created unique images with composite photographs. Being very talented in the darkroom, he used this skill in his composites. He never used digital cameras, since he felt that his creative process was more suited to the darkroom.

7. Annie Liebovitz does fine photographic portraits and is most well known for her work with Vanity Fair and Rolling Stone magazine. Her photographs are intimate, and describe the subject. She was unafraid of falling in love with the people she photographed.

8. Brassai is the pseudonym for Gyula Halasz, and he was well known for his photographs of ordinary people. He was proof that you don’t have to travel far to find interesting subjects. He used ordinary people for his subjects, and his photos are still captivating.

9. Brian Duffy was a British photographer who shot fashion in the 60***8242;s and 70***8242;s. He lost his photographic interest at one time, and burned many negatives, but then began taking photos again a year before he died.

10. Jay Maisel is a famous modern photographer. His photos are simple, and he doesn’t use complex lighting or fancy cameras. He often only takes one lens on photo outings, and he enjoys taking photos of shapes and lights that he finds interesting.

This is one of my favorite projects that I've done in way more photo classes than I can count. Sometimes I have failed miserably in my attempts but I have always learned a lot about styles and challenged myself. When I have a bit more time I will show my set from my Wegman attempt and my set from my Mary Ellen Mark attempt (http://www.maryellenmark.com/text/ma...T-000-001.html).

Totally mad at myself now. There's this image of a whippet or italian greyhound or a dog similar (might be a street dog?) that I want to replicate. There's so much emotion in it and it's fantastic. However I can't remember who the photographer was or how to find it! So frustrated.

This is one of my favorite projects that I've done in way more photo classes than I can count. Sometimes I have failed miserably in my attempts but I have always learned a lot about styles and challenged myself. When I have a bit more time I will show my set from my Wegman attempt and my set from my Mary Ellen Mark attempt (http://www.maryellenmark.com/text/ma...T-000-001.html).

I really really want to see these! This challenge looks super interesting.

The reference to a Greyhound/Italian Greyhound photo sounds familiar - what details do you two remember about it? I want to say I'm thinking of something vaguely similar, but it's a bit of a long shot.

Awesome theme for the week, though!! I couldn't participate last week because I left the DSLR at home when I went back on campus. I've never really studied photographers before, and this will be a great opportunity to learn more about them and about their style and inspirations.